Burst tumour boy died after 'gross failures' by doctors

A boy, 10, who died from a burst brain tumour after being moved between three hospitals and having to wait seven hours for an ambulance, would still be alive if it had not been for the "neglect" of hospital staff, a coroner said today.

"Gross failures" by doctors meant Kieran Howard was not given basic medical care as he lay dying, it was said.

Medical staff were aware there was potentially a problem with his brain, but he still had to wait 12 hours for a scan which would have allowed a diagnosis and meant life-saving surgery could have gone ahead.

Kieran unexpectedly suffered the burst tumour after sneezing at his home in Fordcombe, near Tunbridge Wells, on 28 March last year.

Southwark coroner's court heard that doctors at Pembury hospital, Kent, should have checked the boy's pupils with a torch every 15 minutes.

Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox described the doctors' failures to check his eyes as "gross negligence" and "neglect".

Dr Wilcox recorded a verdict of natural causes contributed to by neglect, saying: "What killed Kieran could have been prevented by prompt neurological assessment and treatment - and that is what did not happen."